Here's The Reason Why Apple Photos Always Show 9:41

Did you ever notice that the iPhone is always set to 9:41 in product photos?

Google

It might seem random, but there is a very deliberate reason for this. It was 9:42 AM when Steve Jobs first announced the iPhone in 2007 and originally, all the iPhone ads always display the time as 9:42.

But that changed when the iPad was introduced. After it's big reveal, the screen on the device displayed 9:41. Thereafter, most promo images for apple products showed 9:41 instead.

Google

Apple executive Scott Forstall says the keynotes were timed so the big reveal happens after about 40 minutes, so the images would sync up with the presentation. Even though this rarely happens now.

Google

The Apple watch, however, is a different story. Promo images for this product are usually set to 10:09. Most watch brands set the models to 10:10 in ads, so that the hour and minute hands don't block the brand's logo under the 12. One theory is that apple chose a minute earlier to be ahead of the curve. Another says 10:09 is actually more symmetrical.

How to convert old photos into digital images

You can turn the old photos in your shoebox into digital copies. Here's how.

Is that old dust-covered box of photos in the closet haunting you? Are you worried about losing your memories in image form to faded years or, worse, a natural disaster? Instead of letting your old photos fall apart, you can convert them into digital format for easy viewing and storage. The easiest way to go about this process is to send them away to a scanning service, but you can also do the job done yourself. Let's take a look at both methods so that you can stop worrying about your old pictures.

Invest in a photo scanning service

The easiest way to turn your old photos into digital format is to send them away to a photo scanning service. These services generally convert negatives, prints, and slides, and will sometimes offer some sort of restoration for damaged, faded, or crumpled images.

Depending on how many photos you want to convert, this method can also be the most expensive, because they often charge a fee per photo. Still, if you don't have time to scan, edit, and save or print your own photos, a dedicated service is a solid option.

Memories Renewed

Memories Renewed offers photo, negative, and slide scanning, plus they'll transfer old videotapes, 8 mm and 16 mm film, and audio into digital formats. As far as photo scanning goes, all images are scanned at 600 dpi for a clear picture, plus photos can be restored if they're damaged. All photos are handled carefully, so you don't have to worry about your old prints receiving further damage.

The Wirecutter went to great lengths to choose a best photo scanning service, and Memories Renewed came out on top. From that review:

Memories Renewed offers the best combination of price, quality, and turnaround time.

Standard photos cost $0.60 each, plus you can purchase a USB thumb drive, CD or DVD. You can also send your own hard drive, and your photos will be transferred at no extra cost. If you're looking for a great scanning service, this seems to be it.

Scan your own photos

The best way to convert those old photos into digital format on your own is to use a photo scanner and editing software. You get to keep your priceless pieces of paper, plastic, and ink where you can see them — you never know what will happen if you send them out — and you can ensure the digital scans are up to your standards.

To get started, you usually want a quality photo scanner that can capture your old pictures properly. We put together a roundup of the best photo scanners on the market that includes affordable and deluxe options. If you don't want to go in for a dedicated piece of hardware, consider checking out the Office Lens app that lets you use your phone to scan old photos.

To save time, we recommended that you scan multiple photos at once. Most scanners have a large bed, and you should be able to fit a few pictures. Once scanned, some sort of image editing software can be used to crop each image and, if you want, do some touching up. Red eyes don't have to live forever!

Check out our roundup of the best affordable graphics and photo-editing apps for a good selection of software that can help you get your old prints into shape.

Finally, once your old pictures are on your PC in digital format, you should back them up for safekeeping. No sense going to all this work just to have a hard drive crash. You have multiple solutions to choose from, but we recommend backing up to at least two different locations. We put together an ultimate guide to help you get your photos and data backed up.

For a bit more help with scanning your own photos, check out Staff Reviewer Rich Edmonds's excellent write-up.

Are you scanning?

Looking for an iRECORENCE model with ML/AI

When you shop on Amazon or Flipkart, you cannot miss the ‘recommendations’ listed as part of the product description you are looking at, or at the final buy confirmation. Recommender Systems have been used for many years now to address the problem of information overload.

How? By providing a customised and personalised target recommendation for a customer by the online retailer. This helps the shopper see what "their type" are shopping, and what they like to buy. This avoids the growing amount of useless information, which, in turn, increases the navigation complexity. This also ensures I do not need to go through a huge list of feedback and reviews from existing customers. Leading recommender systems learn about the usage patterns of users, and customise the content, appearance, and behavior – thanks to the machine learning algorithm! In the bargain, I have lost an important battle - "my privacy". All for what? For better service. The ML/AI algorithms are crunching data from my browsing history, online shopping behavior, purchase history, cart history, etc. Data scientists are making algorithms hungrier for data so that they can be more adaptive by understanding my interests, background and even traits. Information given by me directly, and through observation of my patterns, constantly updates the algorithm. Major online platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter allow third-party applications such as games and productivity applications access to user online private data. Such accesses are authorised by users at the time of installation, thanks to the “The Open Authorization protocol (OAuth)”, which was introduced as a secure and efficient method to authorise third-party applications without releasing a user's access credentials. Though it doesn't provide the necessary fine-grained access control, nor recommendations on which access control decisions are most appropriate, there are efforts to provision fine-grained authorisation recommendations to users when granting permissions to third-party applications. When they are implemented, hopefully,  users are aware and are a part of inputs to the “learning algorithms” to make it more human! An example of “YouTube” recommendation engine below takes care of the complex challenges of building such a system around Scale (Handling massive user base and corpus), Freshness (managing dynamic corpus and developing a system which is responsive enough to model newly uploaded content as well as the latest actions taken by the user) and Noise (Predicting due to sparsity and a variety of unobservable external factors).Illustration Source: https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/ru//pubs/archive/45530.pdfEventually, we will have a self-learning adaptive system that will put a recommendation list which will mirror what I want to buy, making way to more impulse purchases. When I see this recommendation list, I feel happy - it's as if I have someone who understands my needs! So if this is the case, what is missing? A recommendation list integrated with reviews from customers is the start point of my shopping journey. We usually buy using peer advice (friends and family) as we trust their choice. This helps me understand the experience of the product or service post a few months, or even a few years, of purchase. Basically then, I am looking at a robust Reference model integrated with the recommendation model. I think this will be on the rise as the millennial generation rely more on peer recommendation than what they read or see. A personal reference is a reference provided by an individual who knows you, and can vouch for the products he has bought or experienced and mainly whom you trust. Trust is the main component here. Depending on the type of product or service you are buying, personal references can be an excellent choice to support your shopping decision. References are common when we are looking for services in the areas of Healthcare, finance and legal. When you are looking for the best hospital, or when you want a reference to identify the best doctor for your surgery, we always rely on personal and professional references. For example, when I want to visit a certain doctor at a leading hospital in Bengaluru, I look up Practo to see the review and stars the doctor has got before making an appointment. I call up my friend who has recently undergone a similar medical treatment for a personal reference. Also, when looking at a particular investment in real-estate or in mutual funds, we always have a list of friends we talk to, whose comments and references make a huge influence in our choice of investment. Similarly, when we have to pick a legal counsel, we always call the most trusted friend for advice. We have seen successful use of reference models while shopping for products too, like automotive, fitness and electronics. When you have to buy a new car, or when you have to buy a treadmill, or even a phone, you have a list of friends you call up who you consider as experts for a reference. The ideal engine should be able to help me capture this reference, with the recommendation model where machine learning algorithms have done their magic. If we overlay the reference model on the recommendation model, we get a complete picture of the product or service, as it not only has a snapshot of the product or service at a particular time, but will also give feedback with respect to time from the existing users. Of course, the referrers need to be incentivised for their inputs and comments. There are very advanced static and dynamic incentive models which also can be integrated into the system. The decision user takes now is well-informed, and which shopper won't like that feeling? This completes my temptation cycle to shop more, and have a so-called fulfilling shopping experience which creates greater customer stickiness and loyalty. Integration of open model (Recommendation) and closed model (Reference Model) would create a better model for an informed decision. Experts in this field, the question for you - Can I expect a combined model of RECOMMENDATION, INCENTIVES and REFERENCE Models, or can I expect an iRECORENCE model? Disclaimer: I am not a data scientist, or have expertise in Machine learning (ML) or Artificial Intelligence (AI). I am simply an addicted e-shopper! (Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)

WhatsApp service returns after global outage

The cause of the outage, about an hour long, was not immediately known.

WhatsApp, a popular messaging service owned by Facebook Inc, suffered a global outage for about an hour on Sunday before the problem was fixed. “WhatsApp users around the world experienced a brief outage today that has now been resolved,” a WhatsApp spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. The cause of the outage, about an hour long, was not immediately known.

In India, its biggest market with about 200 million of its billion-plus users, the app was down just a few minutes past midnight into the new year.

Users in other countries also complained of outages on social media.

Eight Gmail add-ons you didn’t know you needed

 

Gmail is one of the strongest email clients currently available. But you won't unlock its true potential until you start installing some of its add-ons: free third-party plug-ins that integrate neatly into the Gmail interface and help you do more with your messages. And with the launch of Gmail Add-ons in October, Google has added even more goodies for your inbox.

These extensions primarily focus on business applications, including to-do-list managers, invoicing services, and more—you can browse the full list at the G Suite Marketplace. Click any of the big blue Install buttons to set up that utility inside your inbox on Gmail, whether for the website or for the app. More options should appear over time, so remember to check back regularly.

Of the currently-available extensions, we picked out eight of our favorites, encompassing three newly-released Gmail Add-ons and five tried-and-true plug-ins. Learn more about our picks below.

New add-onsTrello

Your employer may have already introduced Trello into your life, but if you're not already a convert, here's how it works. This website and app provides a simple card-based system for keeping track of just about anything. Think of it like a moveable, shareable collection of to-do lists: Many people use it to keep tabs on multiple projects at once, but it's incredibly flexible, so you can use it for personal as well as professional purposes. You might chart your progress as you plan a vacation or wedding, arrange the week's activities for your family, or even plot out a novel.

However you use it, the Gmail add-on brings Trello right into your inbox. With it, you can quickly convert messages into cards and manage your Trello flow from inside Gmail.

If you run your own business, then a lot of your messages probably relate to dealing with clients and actually getting paid for your work. That's where this QuickBooks plug-in can help—it lets you quickly create a professional-looking invoice right from the Gmail interface, even if you're not a QuickBooks user (though you do need to sign up for a QuckBooks ID first).

And the add-on's abilities go beyond creating static invoices. It can also pick out contacts and details from your incoming messages and track the payment status of all your invoices from inside Gmail. Finally, the plug-in offers clients an easy way to pay you instantly through Stripe or QuickBooks.

Asana resembles Trello: It's a tool built primarily for organizations that can also help personal users. At its heart, Asana is a task manager, letting you direct all the jobs on your plate in a more intuitive way. And its new Gmail add-on brings the service right into your inbox.

In practice, that means you can convert emails into tasks with just a few clicks (or taps if you're on a phone). You can also set due dates, assign tasks to yourself or to other people, and add notes to those to-dos—all without leaving the Gmail interface.

Existing plug-insBoomerang

Boomerang is one of the go-to extensions for Gmail power users. Once you install the plug-in, which works in any browser, you get control over when you send your messages: A new Send Later button will appear in the window for composing a new email, allowing you to schedule your email to be sent at some time in the future. So you can delay an outgoing message by an hour or make it arrive first thing in the morning on the following Monday.

The plug-in can also ping you about emails where you haven't heard back from the recipients, reminding you to follow up with them. In fact, that's where the Boomerang name comes from—emails "boomerang" back if they haven't received a response. Whether you're working with people in other time zones or don't want to forget an important bill, Boomerang can help. Although the free version lets you Boomerang up to 10 emails each month, if you want to use it more frequently, you'll have to pay at least $4.99 a month.

Todoist is one of the most popular to-do-list managers on the planet, so you know the associated browser extension for Chrome will be equally capable and polished. Essentially, the plug-in brings your lists right into your inbox for easier access and management.

You can, for example, turn emails into tasks that need to be completed and receive reminders about them. The extension also lets you view your current tasks with your emails still on-screen and share task details with others. The extension, like Todoist itself, is free to use, but if you'd like extra features like location-based notifications and project tracking charts, you'll have to pay $28.99 a year for a premium plan.

Don't settle for dull-looking email signatures—WiseStamp quickly and easily adds flair to the ends of your messages. It works inside any browser, giving your emails a little edge when it comes to standing out in a crowded inbox.

With this extension, you can add web links, photos, and even snippets of your social media feeds to the bottom of each message. The service is free, but for $6 per month you can get a Pro account that gives you access to premium templates, as well as the ability to create multiple signatures.

The simple and useful Inbox Pause comes from the same developers behind Boomerang, and should work in any modern browser. It lets you hit a big blue Pause button to stop the flow of incoming emails. When you're trying to avoid distractions while working on a single task, the ability to hit pause can be vital.

Pauses can happen manually, or you can set them to occur on a set schedule. You can even specify certain senders who are allowed to break through the wall of silence—just in case there are important messages that you won't want to miss. Like Boomerang, Inbox Pause costs nothing.

Google built this free Chrome extension itself, designing Password Alert to add extra protection against any phishing emails—messages containing links designed to trick you into entering your Google account details on fraudulent websites—that might find their way into your inbox.

This plug-in creates a barrier against phishing attacks: If you do enter your Google credentials into a non-Google website, it will flash a warning at you. And if that fails, and you accidentally compromise your personal information, it lets you immediately change your Google password.

How to record video calls on whatsapp

If you are a Whatsapp user, you will know that video calling can also be done with messaging and voice calling on Whatsapp. Whenever we do video calling with our family or friends, Then there is a desire to see that video again, but you can not see that video call again. Actually there is no option to record the video call on Whatsapp.

Third party image reference Google

If you want to record whatsapp video calls, then you have to resort to a trick. In this trick, you can record every activity of your phone's screen and your video call will also be recorded as such. Let's know step by step, about this trick.

Step 1

Third party image reference Google

To record Whatsapp video calls in your phone. Install the Screen Recorder app. These apps can record every activity on your phone's screen.

Step 2

Now you will open this app, then you will have options to set the size of the video, bit rate, duration and file name. Set these details according to your need.

Step 3

Third party image reference Google

Now click on the record button. Permission for accessing your photos, media and files will now be sought. OK it.

Step 4

Now this app will ask for a permit to capture every activity of the smartphone screen. Now click on Start Now. Now all the activities of your phone will be captured in this app and video calls will also be recorded. If you cancel, this app will not work.